Archie Scott Brown's participation in motor racing came in spite of being born with severe disabilities to his legs and right arm, and only being five feet tall. He took up racing when his father built him a small car to help his mobility, and in 1951 he took part in his first series race in an MG. He quickly established a reputation as a fearless driver, and overall he scored 71 wins, 15 in international competition.

He only took part in one Championship F1 race, the 1956 British Grand Prix, when he was forced to retire with transmission problems, although he had already won a non-championship event. Seven weeks later he was on provisional pole at the Italian Grand Prix when he was forced to withdraw as he did not possess the required licence (it was not issued because of his disability).

In 1957 he won 12 of 14 races he entered in his 300bhp Lister-Jaguar, and hopes were high for 1958 when the car went into production. But early in the 1958 season he was seriously burned in a crash at Spa, dying in hospital the next day. His remarkable life was later chronicled in Archie and the Listers.